State Capitol Week in ReviewLITTLE ROCK -- Many of the bills passed earlier this year took effect at the beginning of August, 90 days after the legislature officially ended the regular session on May 1. Of the new laws that affect public education, one of the most important is Act 930 of 2017. It makes broad changes in how the state Education Department holds local school districts accountable, and how the state helps districts when they fail to adequately educate studen...

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By SENATOR GREG STANDRIDGEThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

#todayStuff the Bus will continue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Walmart Supercenter in Russellville. Some of the items most in need are backpacks, paper, pens, 3-ring binders, notebooks, boxes of tissue, colored pencils, etc.

Hector City Council approves purchase of vacant lotHECTOR -- The Hector City Council called a special meeting Monday approved the purchase of a vacant lot adjacent to City Hall for $10,000 and associated costs of more than $1,000. The eight-tenths of an acre lot adjoining city property to the west of the city hall and fronting on Mulberry Street was placed up for sale by Rita Nance. The council has been interested in the property for several months as a secure, convenient storage site for Stre...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL
sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Chicken Fry moving back to mountainDARDANELLE -- It's that time again. The 70th annual Mount Nebo Chicken Fry is back and it's moving back up the mountain -- where many locals say it belongs. The chicken fry initially was conducted on Mount Nebo, hence the name; however, for the past several years, the event has taken place at the river for uncertain reasons. Over a year ago, Tanya Hendrix, the Dardanelle Area Chamber of Commerce (DACC) executive director at the time, began wor...

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BY PATRICIA SPEARS
pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Chicken Fry moving back to mountainDARDANELLE — It’s that time again. The 70th annual Mount Nebo Chicken Fry is back and it’s moving back up the mountain — where many locals say it belongs. The chicken fry initially was conducted on Mount Nebo, hence the name; however, for the past several years, the event has taken place at the river for uncertain reasons. Over a year ago, Tanya Hendrix, the Dardanelle Area Chamber of Commerce (DACC) executive director at the time, began worki...

Artist charged in death thought man hit on himNEW YORK -- A New York prosecutor said Thursday that a founding member of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five stabbed a homeless man to death in Manhattan after he became enraged because he thought the man believed he was gay and was hitting on him, and he feared he would be robbed. Rapper Kidd Creole -- whose real name is Nathaniel Glover -- was returned to jail without bail by Judge Phyllis Chu on Thursday after an initial appearance in a...

Texas rice farmers hope for increased trade opportunitiesRAYWOOD — Ray Stoesser rumbled around his quiet green fields in a mud-caked SUV, noting the minute gradations of the land, which is subtly terraced to allow water to flow downhill, irrigating the fields in slow succession. "We're going uphill, believe it or not," Stoesser said. After more than a half century of farming, he knows what each field needs and when, harvest after harvest. "Just like taking care of your backyard," he said. The Housto...

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By LYDIA DePILLIS, Houston ChronicleThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Arkansas prison breakout prompts investigationPINE BLUFF— Two guards and an inmate have been attacked at a maximum security prison in central Arkansas, prompting a guard to fire three warning shots into the air, according to state Department of Correction officials. Department officials said it wasn't notified of the situation last month until the Arkansas Times reported about it Monday. Department spokesman Solomon Graves said the Arkansas State Police is investigating the July 22 incide...

Police investigation sought after audit of Arkansas cityBENTONVILLE — A county prosecutor in northwest Arkansas has asked Arkansas State Police to investigate financial wrongdoing reported in a recent legislative audit in Cave Springs. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith sent a letter Thursday to State Police Director Bill Bryant requesting the investigation. Smith said in the letter that the audit found that Cave Springs officials were overpai...

Stuff the bus begins todayAll children deserve to get a good start to the 2017-18 school year. For that reason, River Valley United Way is coordinating the annual Stuff the Bus event. The Stuff the Bus program provides children in need with new school supplies to assist them with their studies and keep them on the road to success. This is made possible by donations of school supplies from everyone in the community. Pope county residents can “Stuff the School Bus” today...

1 of 2 teens pleads not guilty in Arkansas officer's killingLITTLE ROCK — One of two teenagers charged in the death of an Arkansas police officer has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and several other charges. KATV-TV reports that a 16-year-old entered the plea Thursday in the June 12 fatal shooting of Newport Lt. Patrick Weatherford. An 18-year-old pleaded not guilty to furnishing a deadly weapon to a minor, breaking and entering and property theft. The 18-year-old posted bond last month. The 16-y...

Stocks move higher as employers add more jobs than expectedNEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rising Friday following a jobs report that was better than most experts expected. Bond prices fell and yields rose, which sent shares of banks and financial companies surging. Technology companies also climbed. Investors remained focused on corporate earnings. Weight Watchers climbed after reporting a strong quarter while Viacom, the media company that owns Comedy Central and MTV, sank. KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & ...

Employer-based health coverage likely to stay awhileWASHINGTON — Get your insurance through your employer? The ongoing political turmoil around "Obamacare" all but guarantees you'll still be able to do that. Ask Walt Rowen, whose business is etching glass but whose experience managing century-old, family-owned Susquehanna Glass makes him something of an expert on health care. He's provided coverage to employees, then canceled it, steering them to the health insurance exchange. But with those pr...

Outage hits some 2,900 in the areaEntergy crews responded to a power outage that affected approximately 2,900 people in and outside Russellville early afternoon on Thursday. Entergy spokesman Mike Duncan said the main breaker at the Russellville North substation was tripped, but there was no indication why it went down. The outage involved customers in west Russellville, just north of the city along State Highway 124, the south portion of Arkansas Tech University and to Saint ...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

God's love is 4-DGod loves you and wants you to comprehend his love. I grew up going to church Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings and nights. Members of my family were in a gospel singing group, and they traveled all over Arkansas and beyond. Often these were special services on Saturday nights. I had the opportunity to hear a lot of preachers and teachers from many denominations. When I was younger, I did not think of it as anything appealing, rather it was th...

Hell no, Heaven yesBiblical imagery can be misleading, especially when we fail to recognize the context in which it is employed. For instance, C. S. Lewis imagines that certain inhabitants of hell, upon hearing good reports concerning heaven, decide to visit. However, upon their arrival they are disappointed. Perhaps the light is too bright or the people obsessed with doing good. In any case, they lose no time in returning to their natural abode. My wife and I l...

Church Happenings (080417 )Free school supplies Atkins First United Methodist Church will give away free school supplies for students attending the Atkins School district from 8-11 a.m. on Saturday. Food on the Mount Food on the Mount at Mount George Church will supply backpacks, groceries, eye exams, dental checks, school supplies, haircuts for kids and lunch to attendees. The events will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday. For more information, call Chris at 479-747-3149. Fo...

Are we a spectator or a participator?We do not have to look very far to find someone who needs a miracle. There are lots of people who are suffering some type of crisis with everything from health problems, their children and grieving over a loss, to finances, marriage issues and addictions. When we see and hear about difficulties, we become sympathetic, but how often do we consider that God may have brought these individuals to our attention so that we can not only pray but to i...

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BY DR. BILLY HOLLANDThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Community people: John Montgomery and Kara ShafferJohn Montgomery, chairman of the Scholarship Committee for Post No. 20 of the American Legion, recently presented a $500 scholarship to Kara Shaffer, graduate of Russellville High School. Kara is the daughter of Eddie and Kristi Shaffer of Russellville and will attend Arkansas Tech University in the fall. The Legion awards a scholarship annually to an academically deserving student with veteran connection. THE COURIER / Submitted